Moscow concert hall shooting, 22 Mar 24

[Silas Loom]

Gunfire and blaze at Moscow concert hall, reports say

Deaths and injuries reported after gun attack at concert hall near Moscow, Russian media say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Didn’t seem to be a thread. I devoutly hope that this stays in world news and does not become a Ukraine war topic.

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm sure it'll stay in world news - many dead, 40 in this report according to Russian news agency 112 Shooting and blast reported at concert hall near Moscow could be people from Afghanistan behind it, apparently, or from ingushetia

 

[cupid_stunt]

Innocent people targeted again, so sad.

 

[agricola]

Horrible to see this news, hope the reports of many dead and injured turn out to be an over-counting (but some of the footage on social media makes that seem a vain hope).

This is the 7th anniversary of the first Westminster attack as well.

 

[Pickman's model]

We'll need to brush up on our knowledge of the caucasus I think - a bit of background about recent Russian activities there https://jamestown.org/program/moscows-action-in-ingushetia-about-far-more-than-counterterrorism/

 

[Silas Loom]

Innocent people targeted again, so sad.

What is going through the mind of a terrorist who thinks, ooh, a children’s ballroom dancing contest, that’d be ideal for an active shooter?

Even the Bataclan sort of made sense in the context of combatting Western degeneracy. But this, and Beslan of course, is just incomprehensible.

 

[Pickman's model]

What is going through the mind of a terrorist who thinks, ooh, a children’s ballroom dancing contest, that’d be ideal for an active shooter?

Even the Bataclan sort of made sense in the context of combatting Western degeneracy. But this, and Beslan of course, is just incomprehensible.

No it isn't.

 

[bcuster]

This will've most likely proven to be a Ukraine sponsored response to Russian invasion

 

[kebabking]

What is going through the mind of a terrorist who thinks, ooh, a children’s ballroom dancing contest, that’d be ideal for an active shooter?

Even the Bataclan sort of made sense in the context of combatting Western degeneracy. But this, and Beslan of course, is just incomprehensible.

Depends on what those involved wish to achieve - if it's vengeance, then killing children is about the most devastating thing you can do to a society/polity.

If it's about provoking a reaction, which you hope will stoke nationalist/separatist feeling in your home region, then killing children is a really good way to provoke wild, unthinking rage. See Gaza for an example...

If you're an autocrat who knows he needs to mobilise a vast force of conscripts in order to win a war, then having 'terrorists' kill a load of kids is an excellent way of forestalling any opposition and silencing critics.

All three are possible.

 

[JimW]

AP seemed to be suggesting it was a rock concert.

 

[Silas Loom]

Depends on what those involved wish to achieve - if it's vengeance, then killing children is about the most devastating thing you can do to a society/polity.

If it's about provoking a reaction, which you hope will stoke nationalist/separatist feeling in your home region, then killing children is a really good way to provoke wild, unthinking rage. See Gaza for an example...

If you're an autocrat who knows he needs to mobilise a vast force of conscripts in order to win a war, then having 'terrorists' kill a load of kids is an excellent way of forestalling any opposition and silencing critics.

All three are possible.

The false flag theory is probably going a bit far here, and I blame Putin for every minor IT outage in the West.

 

[Silas Loom]

AP seemed to be suggesting it was a rock concert.

Same venue, BBC had ballroom dancing contest, others are reporting a gig. Multi-use affair, presumably.

 

[T & P]

'At least 40 dead'... Fuck me

 

[Pickman's model]

The false flag theory is probably going a bit far here, and I blame Putin for every minor IT outage in the West.

You don't recall the Russian tower block bombings obvs

 

[bcuster]

 

[Pickman's model]

But what do you think? Why should we watch your video strewn with corpses?

 

[The39thStep]

My thoughts wherever such an incident like this takes place are with the victims and families. I'll leave the false flag theory people to get on with it.

 

[bcuster]

But what do you think? Why should we watch your video strewn with corpses?

I already posted: its probably a Ukrainian counterstrike, however this guy thinks differently:

 

[Pickman's model]

I already posted: its probably a Ukrainian counterstrike, however this guy thinks differently:

Reference already made to the dubious bombings of 99

 

[agricola]

You don't recall the Russian tower block bombings obvs

I don't honestly see how this would be possible to do as a false flag, at least in terms of some FSB or other official types posing as terrorists - the amount of changes to normal operating procedures that would be required just to get the attack to take place would be so many that dozens / hundreds of cops, other first responders, security guards and normal members of the public would notice. If one cop got a lucky shot off and killed / disabled one fake terrorist it would risk everything coming out. The tower block attacks were rumbled because of unusual security force behaviour and they were much less risky (from the point of view of exposure) attacks than this appears to have been.

I already posted: its probably a Ukrainian counterstrike, however this guy thinks differently:

If Ukraine / Ukrainian interests were genuinely behind this then Western support will vanish. Even the most cretinous of the NAFO crowd, to say nothing of hawkish Washington types, would surely balk at legitimising this sort of thing being a means of warfare between states.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Mariupol theatre. What goes around, comes around, I guess.

 

[Pickman's model]

I don't honestly see how this would be possible to do as a false flag, at least in terms of some FSB or other official types posing as terrorists - the amount of changes to normal operating procedures that would be required just to get the attack to take place would be so many that dozens / hundreds of cops, other first responders, security guards and normal members of the public would notice. If one cop got a lucky shot off and killed / disabled one fake terrorist it would risk everything coming out. The tower block attacks were rumbled because of unusual security force behaviour and they were much less risky (from the point of view of exposure) attacks than this appears to have been.



If Ukraine / Ukrainian interests were genuinely behind this then Western support will vanish. Even the most cretinous of the NAFO crowd, to say nothing of hawkish Washington types, would surely balk at legitimising this sort of thing being a means of warfare between states.

I don't think it's a false flag. But putin has at least questions to answer over 99. At the moment, without being in possession of more than there has been an attack and numerous people are dead I wouldn't attribute blame nor atm rule anything out.

 

[Yossarian]

The US Embassy in Moscow issued a warning less than two weeks ago that extremists were planning to attack a concert, don't know why there was apparently insufficient security at this one

The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.

 

[discokermit]

could it be something to do with that failed belgorod incursion and those russian nazis?

 

[Silas Loom]

could it be something to do with that failed belgorod incursion and those russian nazis?

About as likely as the shooters turning out to be situationist pranksters from St Martins College. HTH.

 

[Yossarian]

What is going through the mind of a terrorist who thinks, ooh, a children’s ballroom dancing contest, that’d be ideal for an active shooter?

Even the Bataclan sort of made sense in the context of combatting Western degeneracy. But this, and Beslan of course, is just incomprehensible.

Hardly surprising that some people might have fucked-up ideas about right and wrong when Putin is handing out medals to units that commit well-documented atrocities in Ukraine

 

[JimW]

Bearded Caucasian types apparently on early reports.

 

[agricola]

The US Embassy in Moscow issued a warning less than two weeks ago that extremists were planning to attack a concert, don't know why there was apparently insufficient security at this one

The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.

TBF "insufficient security" really assumes there is a way of getting sufficient security in a city that size, with as many crowded venues as cities that size do to prevent attacks like this.

This was multiple guys, all armed with automatic weapons and probably explosives - even a fortified government building would have been at least partially breached by a determined attack in these circumstances.

 

[discokermit]

About as likely as the shooters turning out to be situationist pranksters from St Martins College. HTH.

dunno, they got arms and ammunition and were shelling russian civilians a few days ago.

oh, and err FRO

 

[Silas Loom]

TBF "insufficient security" really assumes there is a way of getting sufficient security in a city that size, with as many crowded venues as cities that size do to prevent attacks like this.

This was multiple guys, all armed with automatic weapons and probably explosives - even a fortified government building would have been at least partially breached by a determined attack in these circumstances.

The best our own government can do on securing crowded places against active shooters is to tell venues they need to think very hard about how to thwart attacks.